


Sorcery!

by Nautika



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempt at Humor, Gen, M/M, Magic, Merlin pulls Uther out of the lake, Uther has some problems with modern technologies, and sorcery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-28 23:49:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20787077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nautika/pseuds/Nautika
Summary: Years after Arthur, Merlin also pulls Uther out of Lake Avalon, for some reason. Merlin thinks it's the universe's version of a joke and he'll make sure to laugh later. Maybe. But Arthur's happy, so what can he do?





	Sorcery!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't expected my first Merlin fic to be a Modern-AU, but here we are.
> 
> I'm always happy to get Kudos and especially comments, of course, but no pressure :)
> 
> You wanna talk to me outside the comment section? Visit my tumblr, I'm nauticalypso.

“Shouldn’t he be awake by now?” a familiar voice whispered above him.

“How should I know,” another voice whispered back, “that’s only the second person I’ve pulled out of a lake lately.”

“How did he even get into the water? I know how I did… but didn’t we _bury_ him?” the first person said. “Why was in the lake in the first place?”

“Well, you can just ask him when he’s awake,” the second person said, sounding grumpy.

Water? Lake? He had no idea what they were talking about. And why did the sun shine directly into his eyes? Hadn’t he told his son to draw the curtains? He was pretty sure he had.

He grunted unhappily and tried to turn around to shield his eyes from the light. 

“Oh!” the familiar voice said, “you’re awake! Can you open your eyes?”

“You don’t have to, though, you can just stay asleep forever,” the other guy said dryly, followed by an “outch, hey!”

Come to think of it, the second voice sounded kind of familiar, too. Maybe his manservant? No, that wasn’t it. 

And why was he so tired? Ugh, there was nothing to it, he had to open his eyes to see what was going on.

It was harder than he had thought, until someone softly dabbed a wet cloth over his face.

Uther slowly blinked his eyes open to the sight of his son, illuminated by a blinding light behind him, looking like an angel.

“Father?” Arthur asked in a low voice, and Uther grunted.

“What happened?” he croaked, and frowned. Why did his voice sound so unused.

Arthur’s smile was blinding. “It’s a long story, but you’re alright now.”

Uther nodded, slightly confused, then winced. “Tell me where I am, as this is not my chamber. The bed is far too uncomfortable.”

“That’s because you’re sleeping on my couch, your highness,” a voice huffed from behind him. “So sorry it’s not up to your royal arse's standards.”

“Merlin!” Arthur hissed, looking up. “Now is not the time!”

Uther craned his neck in a very undignified way to catch a glimpse of whoever would be landing in the stocks within the next minute. His gaze swept over a room unlike any he’d seen before. First of all, the whole floor was covered by fuzzy carpet. This was also obviously a peasant’s house, as he could see a table and chairs right next to the bed he was lying on, implying there was only one room. He still couldn’t see the owner of the rude voice, but what he _could_ see was the sun that shone into his eyes.

Only, it wasn’t the real sun at all, but seemed to be a small sun on a long stick, shining without a candle in it.

That could only mean one thing.

“Sorcery!” Uther cried. 

* * *

Merlin rolled his eyes. Of course. Of course this would be the first thing the formerly dead king of Camelot would say. And then to a lamp!

“It’s not sorcery!” he snapped at Uther. “It’s just a lamp. You’ve been dead some time, you know?”

“Merlin!” Arthur hissed again. 

Uther’s gaze had finally found him and tried to stare him down, but Merlin had been alive for a thousand years, give or take. He wouldn’t let himself be intimidated by some zombie he’d pulled out of that damned lake now, so he stared right back.

The former king didn’t look away when he finally asked, “What do you mean, dead?” he said in his croaky voice.

Merlin grinned at him. “Oh, nothing much. Just, you know. Not alive. Deceased, departed, perished, gone to meet your Maker, in the grave, beneath the sod-”

“That’s enough Merlin,” Arthur said sternly.

“I don’t understand,” Uther said, confused.

“- six feet under. _ Dead _. You get my drift?” Merlin continued gleefully.

“Insolence!” Uther cried. “Guards!”

“There are no guards here,” Arthur said soothingly, sitting down next to his father and putting a hand on his shoulders. “Merlin is right, you have been… uh, not alive for some time now.”

Uther turned to his son. “I’ve been dead?”

“Yes,” Arthur nodded.

“And now I’m alive?” Uther asked.

“Yes,” Arthur nodded.

“Sorcery!” Uther cried.

“Probably,” Merlin muttered quietly under his breath. No one heard him.

* * *

“One thousand years? I’ve been dead for _ one thousand years _?” Uther’s incredulous look would have been funny as hell if not for the fact that it was on the face of a very murderous former king. 

Merlin folded his arms. “Give or take some. And now you’re alive again, apparently. Congrats to that.”

Uther regarded him with suspicion. “And why are _you_ not dead?” he asked and okay, fair question, but Merlin didn’t think answering truthfully with “why, as the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth I am, in fact, immortal, of course” would be well received, so he just shrugged. 

“Don’t know, don’t care,” he said. “Just be glad you’re less dead again.”

Uther scoffed. “Let me be perfectly clear: as soon as I am in my castle and on my throne, you will be missing your head for your insolence!”

“Father, about the throne…” Arthur began, but didn’t get far.

“Son, I know you were my heir for it, but now that I am here you will have to wait your turn,” Uther said sternly. Then he frowned. “Again, I suppose.”

“Uh, that’s not exactly the problem here…” Arthur tried again

“What he wants to say is that it isn’t _your_ throne anymore,” Merlin happily interrupted, “and I’m pretty sure the Queen would kick your ass if you came up to her and demanded the thing for yourself.”

“Well, in that case I will obviously have to challenge the king to a duel,” Uther reasoned. 

“Father…” Arthur started, but Merlin slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Nuh-uh, let me!” he said and grinned at Uther. “There’s no king. Just the Queen. And you don’t want to duel her, she’s a badass and-”

Arthur had managed to free himself and glared at Merlin before turning to Uther.

“Father, this country has changed since the last time you saw it. I know it is hard to accept, but here we are common people, and that is absolutely fine, believe me,” he soothed again. “Merlin and I will happily show you around…”

“Speak for yourself,” Merlin said.

“...and then let you decide what you want to do. Alright? For now?” Arthur said. 

Uther didn’t look happy at all, but he wasn’t an idiot either, so he nodded, still frowning.

Merlin sighed internally. Maybe they could get through this without it ending in a catastrophe. 

The microwave dinged.

“Sorcery!” Uther cried.

...oh, who was he kidding. 


End file.
